


Between Us

by nanaa127



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Battle Couple Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Breakfast in Bed, Fluff and Angst, Guilt, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Protective Alec Lightwood, Protective Magnus Bane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:08:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27888043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanaa127/pseuds/nanaa127
Summary: Magnus knows that Alec's priority is to protect others, and that's fine. That's what Magnus is there for - to make sure Alec is protected in return.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 10
Kudos: 135





	Between Us

**Author's Note:**

> Happens sometime in the middle of S2, which I'm going to pretend takes place over several months instead of several...days? Weeks?

"What I don't get," Alec mused, "is how someone could have looked at one of these things and thought it would be a good idea to eat it."

The shadowhunter lifted his chopsticks and gave them a little shake. The slick, spiny 'thing' trapped between them jiggled a bit before going limp again. 

"I imagine that anything will look appetizing if you're hungry enough," Magnus replied, amused. His boyfriend looked utterly baffled by his entrée, which charmed Magnus far more than it probably should have. 

"I don't know," Alec muttered doubtfully. "And this is coming from someone who's been desperate enough to willingly eat Izzy's cooking." He nibbled at the end of the sea cucumber, chewed thoughtfully, and then pointed the rest of it towards Magnus with a vaguely hopeful expression. The warlock raised an eyebrow but willingly took the offered bit of food with his mouth. 

"You don't have to eat it if you don't want to," Magnus said. "I'll admit it's an acquired taste."

"That's okay. I should at least give it a fair shot." Alec frowned down at his plate. Four more sea cucumbers stared up at him from a soupy bed of mushrooms.

Magnus laughed. "Alexander, your meal isn't standing trial, and neither are you. It's fine if you don't want it." He pulled Alec's plate of haisom cah jamur to himself and pushed his own meal of babi pangang in front of the shadowhunter. "Try this instead. I think you'll like it."

"Are you sure?" 

"Of course. This," Magnus said, gesturing at the seafood, "happens to be one of my favorites."

Alec gave him a shy smile. "Thanks, Magnus."

"Anytime, darling." Magnus reached out and gently brushed his fingers against the shadowhunter's knuckles, delighting at how Alec immediately turned his hand over so their fingers could curl together. Magnus automatically squeezed his boyfriend's hand. Sitting here with Alec in front of him, healthy and whole, it seemed almost impossible that just a few short days ago, he'd been clutching Alec's hand for an entirely different, and far more terrible, reason. The warlock pushed those memories away. "You know," Magnus said, lowering his voice as he leaned forward, "in Chinese folklore, it was thought that eating sea cucumbers would boost a man's virility."

"Really?" Alec asked, curious and - was that the beginning of a light blush suffusing Alec's pale skin? Why yes, Magnus believed it was. He bit back a wicked grin. 

Magnus hummed affirmatively. He started to stroke Alec's palm, ghosting the barest touch over callused skin. "Because of the way it's shaped. It was believed that consuming something that resembled a cock would act as an aphrodisiac."

"Oh, I see." Despite his flushed cheeks, Alec seemed intrigued. He shot the haisom cah jamur a grudgingly impressed look. "Can we, um, find out if that's true?"

"I'd absolutely love to," Magnus murmured. "Although, I do want to be perfectly clear that you're delectably... _stimulating_ on your own. The food is just a nice bonus."

There were many, many things that the High Warlock of Brooklyn adored about his very new shadowhunter lover, but at the top of that lengthy list had to be how gamely Alec responded to Magnus' rampant, shameless flirting. Not even Magnus was powerful enough to instantaneously lift over a decade of repression - not that he wasn't trying - but he was having fun coaxing Alec out of his shell and the young shadowhunter was obviously worth the effort. Case in point: even though self-conscious embarrassment briefly flitted across his now bright red face, Alec licked his lips and stared at Magnus with enough appreciative heat to make a curl of desire stir in the warlock's belly.

"Um, thanks? Although," Alec added with a little huff of laughter, "you're probably the first to think that. Most people say I'm, well...the word 'boring' comes up a lot."

"That, Alexander, is because most people are tragically blind fools," Magnus declared firmly, silently vowing to demonstrate thoroughly and at length exactly how not 'boring' he found Alec. 

Alec smiled softly. "Well, lucky for me, you're not most people."

"I'm glad you noticed," Magnus replied. He squeezed Alec's hand again, pouring as much affection into the gesture as he could. "And I'm pretty sure I'm the lucky one here."

The rest of their dinner passed quickly - too quickly, in Magnus' opinion. It had been a while since they'd had the chance to simply be together and take pleasure each other's company. The past two weeks had raced by in a blur, with Magnus and the Institute working together to hunt down a pair of powerful, very misguided warlocks that had been experimenting with portal magic. Many of the portals had connected into hell dimensions and spewed hordes of demons across the city, which had understandably upset just about everyone, Downworlder and Nephilim alike. Alec had run himself and his shadowhunters ragged trying to contain each deadly wave, while Magnus had repeatedly drained himself closing the most stubborn of the portals. Disaster had struck on the last patrol when exhausted, inexperienced shadowhunters had collided with a particularly vicious species of demon, with Alec and his stalwart need to _protect_ caught right in the middle. It had been... Magnus shuddered. There was no point in dwelling on it. It was in the past, the offenders were in the hands of the Clave and his brave, beautiful Alexander was alive. Besides, Magnus' brain was already tormenting his sleeping hours with nightmares of Alec's crumpled, bloodied body. There was no point in torturing himself while he was awake, as well. Alec was here. Alec was _fine_. 

"Hey, Magnus. You okay?" 

The warlock shook himself out of his reverie to find his boyfriend frowning at him with open concern. Magnus took a deep, calming breath. "I'm more than okay. I'm with you, aren't I?" 

The concern eased, but didn't disappear entirely. "Just making sure. I know the last couple weeks have been pretty rough for you."

And wasn't that just so sweetly, quintessentially Alec? "I'd say it's been rough for everyone, darling. Should we head back to the loft to continue our very well-deserved evening of R&R?"

"Yeah, I'd like that," Alec agreed. "I'm ready when you are."

Magnus threaded his fingers through Alec's as they left the restaurant, choosing to walk and take in the cool, evening air. It was a relief to be able to set aside the cares of the Shadow World aside for just one night and to revel in the presence of his incredibly lovely boyfriend. It seemed almost too good to be true, which was why Magnus wasn't surprised in the least when Alec's cell phone rang.

"Hang on," Alec muttered, yanking his phone out of his pocket and stabbing at the screen with his thumb. "Izzy. Is everything alright?"

Magnus couldn't hear what Isabelle was saying, but considering that the younger Lightwood had conspired with him to peel Alec away from his mission debrief and into the warlock's loving arms for the night, whatever had her calling probably wasn't going to be pleasant. 

"Another one? Are you sure? I thought...okay. Yeah, Magnus is with me. We'll head there now. Send the location to my phone. Thanks, Iz." Alec hung up and grimly shoved his phone into his pocket. 

"Trouble, Alexander?"

"Yeah. Looks like we've got another random open portal."

Magnus frowned. "Let me guess - it's spitting demons and needs to be closed."

"Pretty much." The shadowhunter sighed. "Izzy's sending a team over, but it'll take some time for them to get there. We'll be faster, but I need to grab my weapons first."

"Wonderful," Magnus murmured as he waved open a portal into his loft. "This is exactly how I wanted to end my day."

Alec's brow furrowed. "You and me both. Sorry, Magnus."

"No need to apologize, my dear. Duty calls. Let's get this taken care of, shall we?"

____________________

As promised, a large void had been punched into the ground floor of an abandoned factory near the waterfront of Sunset Park. Hellish creatures weren't actively spilling out of it, which would make it easier to shut down, but also harder to estimate how many demons they could expect to have escaped. As it was, the area was quiet, almost disturbingly so.

"So what do you think? Is it from the same two warlocks, or do we need to worry about someone new?" Alec asked, carefully circling around the portal. They were, as expected, the first ones to arrive. He nocked an arrow to his bow, and his rune-enhanced gaze darted around the dark factory, mentally mapping out a defensible perimeter. 

Magnus silently assessed the interdimensional doorway, using his own power to gently poke at it. The use of magic was a very personal thing, and every spell cast by a warlock left behind a distinct signature. "No, not in this case," Magnus said absently, concentrating on the portal. It seemed to be tethered to the magical equivalent of a alarm clock, much like the timers that mundanes used to regulate explosives. The combination was tricky, but clever. "This seems to be a parting gift from the two that we've already caught."

"You're telling me they opened that from Idris?" Alec asked skeptically.

"Not quite." Magnus drew up his own considerable magic, silently weaving it together into a complex structure that would both force the portal to seal and dampen the blowback that sometimes occurred when one warlock undid another warlock's work without permission. A rapid tapping noise that sounded suspiciously like claws skittering across concrete caught his ear. Magnus forced himself to tune it out and _concentrate_. The faster he could get this done, the faster he could get Alec out of harm's way. There would absolutely be no repeat performance of the desperate healing he'd done a few days ago. "This one was on a time delay."

"Hmm." Alec lifted his bow and drew back on the string. His steps grew softer, more deliberate as he wandered away from Magnus. "I didn't know that was possible."

"I didn't either, until today," Magnus muttered. He could privately admit that it grated on his professional pride a bit. He'd have to study the construct later, when he had more time and wasn't worried about Alec throwing his lone self at a throng of demons.

"But you can still shut it down, right?"

The warlock huffed. "Of course, Alexander, it's just - " 

Whatever retort Magnus had on the tip of his tongue was swallowed in surprise when a large, many-legged _thing_ leapt up out of the portal and into the factory. Magnus tipped backwards onto the cold concrete floor and the intricate spell he'd been knitting together unraveled and dissipated into the ether. He barely had a moment to be frustrated before the demon pounced at him, vicious claw-tipped limbs extended in attack. 

"Magnus!" The warlock was vaguely aware that Alec was screaming his name. He threw up a basic but powerful deflection spell and watched with wide eyes as the demon - which had suddenly sprouted two arrows from center mass - smashed into it and was repelled with enough force to crash into a wall twenty feet away. The creature disintegrated on impact, and Alec's arrows clattered to the floor.

"Magnus? Shit, Magnus! Are you okay?" Alec raced over and crashed to his knees next to Magnus as the warlock pushed himself upright. Frantic hands ran up his arms, across his shoulders, down his sides. "Are you hurt? Did it get you?"

Magnus waved away the concern. "Not even a scratch." Although, he suspected he might have an impressive bruise or two decorating his ass. He'd have to ask Alec to check for him and kiss them better, when this was all done and they were safe in his heavily warded home.

Before Alec could respond, an ominous chorus of snarling reverberated from the shadows. Both Alec and Magnus froze. "That wouldn't happen to be some sort of new shadowhunter greeting, would it?" Magnus asked.

"I'll cover you," Alec said firmly. He drew another arrow from his quiver.

The warlock sighed. "I didn't think so."

Alec shook his head, his attention already on the incoming danger. "The faster the better, Magnus."

There would be no argument from him there. Magnus turned towards the portal and - from a farther, more wary distance - called upon his magic again. The spell he cobbled together this time wasn't nearly as elegant or efficient as the one he'd been working on before, and he could feel his magic draining more quickly than he would have preferred. Still, the time pressure was real and Magnus didn't have the luxury of sparing himself, not when Alec was standing guard over him and fending off an unknown number of demons. _Alexander is an extremely capable shadowhunter. One of the best. He can handle himself for a few minutes while I get this done._ Anxiety prickled along Magnus' skin.

The sounds of battle trickled along the edges of his awareness as he worked. Beads of sweat gathered along Magnus' hairline and rolled down his temples as he put the final flourishes on the negation and containment magic he'd meshed together. He gathered it all between his hands and was preparing to toss it over the portal when a short grunt of pain cut through his focus.

_Alexander._

Magnus whirled as soon as his spell was released and breathed a sigh of relief when he found the shadowhunter on his feet. He was holding three demons at bay with a glowing seraph blade in each hand, his bow abandoned in favor of close combat. Arrows were sprayed across the floor as a testament to the demons that had already been eliminated. Although Alec fought with brutal grace, Magnus could tell there was something...off. His heart clenched painfully when Alec's left leg suddenly collapsed beneath him, sending the tall shadowhunter to the ground. Alec swiped desperately with his blades and severed the limbs off one demon that tried to take advantage of his fall, but wasn't fast enough to block the next. Magic began to swell up inside Magnus, wild and uncontrollable, as Alec cried out again, and _where the hell was their backup?_

Blood pounded in Magnus' ears as he raced towards Alec. More grotesque black figures sprang from darkened corners, bounding eagerly towards the fallen shadowhunter as he struggled desperately to get back to his feet. The warlock could hear distant voices - human voices? - shouting, but he pushed it all away. His world narrowed to the sight of his Alexander, about to be swallowed by a tidal wave of demons, and his own fierce conviction that this was _not_ going to happen again. Magnus flung out his hand, roaring with outrage as his power erupted. A wall of crackling blue light laced with dark red burst through the air and plowed through the demons, incinerating them instantly. Ash fluttered in the air.

Magnus crumpled to the ground as his strength abruptly gave out. Dark spots clouded his vision, but he stubbornly kept his eyes on Alec, silently willing the shadowhunter to get up. _Come on, Alexander. Please._

"Magnus?" The sound of Alec's ragged voice was quite possibly one of the most beautiful things Magnus had ever heard. "Magnus, what...?"

After a few tries, Alec successfully clambered to his feet and staggered over to where Magnus lay, lungs heaving with exhaustion. He dropped gracelessly next to the warlock. The hand Alec pressed against Magnus' chest was perfectly weighted and warm. "Fuck," Alec breathed. "What the hell was that, Magnus?"

Magnus reached towards his boyfriend. Alec was paler than usual, and Magnus didn't need a vampire's senses to notice the rich copper scent that clung to the shadowhunter. He could heal - 

"No, Magnus. Stop. Don't even think about it." Alec caught his wrists and held them tight.

"You're hurt," Magnus murmured. Yes, he was tired, but he could do this. Maybe. If he tried really, really hard. He was Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn. Of course he could do it. For Alec, he would do anything.

"And I bet you're totally out of juice," Alec argued roughly. Was Alexander angry? He sounded a bit upset. "I'll take care of it. Just...hang on, okay?" 

Magnus wanted to apologize, to soothe away Alec's worries, even though he wasn't sure he'd done anything wrong. "I'm okay," he whispered.

"No, you're not," Alec said tightly. 

Before Magnus could argue, Alec's head snapped up as familiar voices flooded the empty factory. "Alec? Magnus?" 

"Over here!" Alec shouted. He looked back down and rested his palm against Magnus' cheek, his gentle touch at complete odds with the thunderous frown on his ashen face. "Help is here, Magnus. You can rest, okay? We'll get you out of here, promise."

An annoyed riposte along the lines of _too little, too late from the peanut gallery_ was on the tip of Magnus' tongue, but he decided not to waste his precious energy in saying it out loud. He could eviscerate the hopelessly tardy shadowhunters some other time. Despite his desire to stay awake and to make sure that Alec got the help he so obviously needed, Magnus' eyelids slid closed, and he sank into a deep sleep.

____________________

There were two things that Magnus noted as he slowly awoke. First was that the air smelled faintly of bacon, which seemed a little odd. He didn't think he had any bacon in his kitchen. The second was that the other side of the bed was empty, which was also a little odd, but not terribly so. After all, it wasn't so long ago that he and Alec had taken their relationship to the next level. Perhaps Alec had spent the night at the Institute? He'd been so busy lately, dealing with the mess left behind by the rogue warlocks -

Magnus' eyes snapped open. _The portals. Demons. Alexander on the ground, vulnerable and bleeding -_

"Hey. You're awake."

Magnus rolled over to find Alec leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed tightly across his chest. Magnus' eyes anxiously roved over him, searching for any hint that Alec wasn't completely healthy.

"Magnus?"

Other than the dark smudges under his eyes that suggested a sleepless night, Alec _seemed_ fine. He looked adorably grouchy, which wasn't really unusual but worried Magnus a bit. Had they argued? Was Magnus missing something? 

"Hey," Alec repeated, more gently this time. He walked over towards the bed and perched himself on the edge of the mattress, close enough that Magnus could feel the heat radiating off of his walking furnace of a boyfriend. Shadowhunters tended to run hot, in more ways than one. "Are you in any pain? Do you need anything?"

"No, no," Magnus finally murmured. "Nothing. I'm fine."

Alec stared down at his lap and absently plucked the at silk sheets beneath him. "I wanted to take you to the Institute infirmary, but Aldertree refused," he said flatly. "We brought you home and called your friend Catarina instead. She said you mostly just needed sleep, that you'd start to feel better by morning."

_We...called Cat? What?_ "She's right," Magnus agreed somewhat resignedly. He supposed he was due for another overblown lecture from his dear friend. Cat had an unfortunate tendency to overreact to certain things. "Sleep is the best remedy for what I assume is magical exhaustion. That, and a lot of protein." A craving for a rare hunk of meat was already growing inside Magnus, and for once it wasn't Alec that he needed in order to fulfill it. Or rather, it wasn't _only_ Alec that he needed.

"Speaking of," Alec said, rising from the bed. "Hang on a sec." 

Magnus grabbed the shadowhunter's wrist before he could get away. "Wait. How are you, Alexander? You were...you were wounded."

Alec shook his head and frowned. "I'm good," he replied shortly, glaring at the floor.

"Are you?" At this point it was clear that Alec was deliberately avoiding his gaze, and Magnus didn't understand why. 

"Yeah. Your friend was kind enough to heal me." Alec carefully twisted his arm from Magnus' grip. "Be right back. Don't move."

With a loud huff, Magnus flopped down onto his back. Alec was upset, but about what, Magnus hadn't the faintest. Had something happened after he'd passed out? Was it because Aldertree - miserable excuse of an angelic being that he was - had refused Magnus entry into the Institute? If so, Alec had nothing to worry about. He'd much rather recover in the comfort of his own lovely home than in the cold, impersonal arms of the Institute.

A few minutes later, the tall shadowhunter returned, bearing a food-laden tray in his hands. A sunny yellow mound of scrambled eggs sat steaming next to a large pile of crispy, glistening bacon and a high stack of golden toast. A small pot of marmalade, a tall glass of orange juice and a mug of coffee completed the breakfast. Magnus' mouth began to water as soon as he laid eyes on the feast that his wonderful, thoughtful boyfriend had brought him.

"Have I told you lately how much I adore you?" Magnus said delightedly as he eagerly shoveled a piece of bacon into his mouth. "You are a gift, my dear."

"Eat up," Alec murmured. "I know you're probably starving." He took the mug of coffee for himself and sipped at it while Magnus devoured his breakfast.

"You're not having any?" Magnus asked as he generously slathered the fruit preserve onto a piece of toast. Orange marmalade was his _favorite_.

"I'm not hungry. I also really don't want my hand bitten off," Alec said dryly.

"As delicious as you are, Alexander, I promise that I draw the line at biting off body parts," Magnus mumbled around a forkful of eggs. "Well. Most of the time."

"Oh god," Alec muttered, looking scandalized. "I don't want to know."

Magnus abandoned all pretense of having a conversation as he wolfed down the rest of his food. He leaned back against his pillows with a satisfied groan after he was done and pushed the empty tray aside. "That was amazing. Now," Magnus ordered, rolling onto his side so that he could get a proper look at Alec, "tell me what's bothering you."

"Nothing's bothering me."

"Alexander. Look at me," Magnus said seriously. Alec did, despite how very put out he seemed by the request. "Please, tell me. Whatever it is, I _want_ to know."

Alec heaved a long sigh and rolled his eyes heavenward. He clenched his long, elegant fingers into white-knuckled fists. "It's... you can't..." He trailed off into silence.

"Can't what, darling?" Magnus asked gently.

Alec sighed again. "Being a shadowhunter, it's my _life_. It's my job to protect the Downworld and the mundanes. It's what I was born to do."

_Ah._ The warlock wasn't a hundred percent certain where this was going, but he had an inkling. A very strong, very displeased inkling. Not for the first time in Magnus' long life, he felt utter revulsion for Nephilim culture. "Alexander. While I completely understand your desire to excel at your job, that doesn't mean that you don't deserve to be protected in return," Magnus said carefully. 

"Maybe," Alec muttered reluctantly. "With other shadowhunters, it's different. We're trained to have each other's backs. But you - "

"But me, I'm not angel-blooded, so I'm not good enough to stand by your side in a fight?"

"No! No, Magnus, god, you're _beyond_...." Alec huffed in frustration and flung his head back against the headboard with a loud thud. Magnus winced. "You know that's not what I meant. I'd never, ever think that."

Obviously Magnus knew, but it still settled something inside of him to hear Alec say it out loud. "I know," Magnus soothed, "but darling, you must know that just as you work hard to keep me - everyone - safe, I'd do anything to keep you safe as well."

Alec shook his head. "When I saw what you did, and that you were down because of it, I was...I was so scared, Magnus," he whispered. "You can't do that, not for me. You _can't._ I'm not wo- "

Magnus quickly reached up and pressed his finger against his boyfriend's lips, startling the shadowhunter into silence. He knew that if Alec finished that sentence, it would likely break Magnus' heart. "Alexander, you are," the warlock said fervently. "Always. I hope I can make you believe that, one day."

Alec shook his head again, but thankfully didn't argue. "Do you, uh, want more food?" the shadowhunter asked shakily. "I can get you more breakfast, if you want. Or something different, if you don't want eggs and bacon again."

"The only way I'll be able to stuff down more food right now is if I try to grow a second stomach, and I know for a fact that would be inadvisable," Magnus replied with a dramatic shudder. He willingly bowed to Alec's desire to end the conversation. For now, anyway. Magnus was certain they'd be revisiting it, over and over and over again, if necessary.

"Are you sure?"

"Quite. There was this warlock from Romania... I still have nightmares. Let's just say it was a very messy affair."

"Tell me what you need, then."

Magnus shuffled closer to Alec and draped his arm over his boyfriend's waist. The shadowhunter was warm and solid and comforting. "Just you. And maybe a kiss or three."

Alec chucked softly and he leaned over Magnus. His gaze wandered over the warlock's face as he gently stroked his thumb across Magnus' cheekbone. "I think I can manage that."

The warlock pouted. "So why aren't you kissing me yet?"

The expression on Alec's face softened into something so exquisitely tender that it took Magnus' breath away. The young shadowhunter smiled before pressing his lovely mouth against Magnus' own, kissing Magnus carefully like he was something irreplaceably precious. The warlock wound his fingers through his boyfriend's dark hair and parted his lips, happily inviting Alec in. Alec quietly moaned in the back of his throat as their kiss deepened, and despite how drained he still was, Magnus' body readily responded to Alec's touch, his taste, his scent. He suspected it always would, as far gone as he already was for this gorgeous Nephilim boy.

"Well," Magnus panted as they finally pulled apart. "Yes. I feel so much better already. Thank you."

"Happy to help," Alec gasped. "Anytime. Really."

Magnus curled up on his side and burrowed his head against Alec's chest. Between the magical depletion and the large meal, he was getting drowsy again. "What would I do without you, Alexander?"

There was no verbal response, but Alec lightly ran his fingers up and down Magnus' ribs. Magnus shivered and hummed with approval. "Sleep," Alec murmured after a few minutes of peace. "I'll watch over you."

_I know you will,_ Magnus thought as he dozed off. _And I'll always do the same for you, my love._

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! First time I've written for this fandom, and I'll admit that I haven't watched the entire series yet, but I've seen enough to know I adore Alec and Magnus. This was an exercise to try and get a feel for these two, so if you made it this far (right up to the sappy ending), thank you for reading!


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